Ten Years Time
by TheNovelArtist
Summary: An akuma sends Chat Ten years into the future, meaning that future Chat has to help Ladybug fight the akuma. Both supers learn that a lot can happen in ten years time
1. Chapter 1

"Chat Noir! Your left!"

He dodged the beam of light that the akuma shot out. He had no idea what would happen if he was hit by that light, and he _really_ didn't want to find out.

He and his lady ducked for cover, the akuma wildly slinging its light rays everywhere.

"Any ideas?"

"Lucky Charm!"

A mirror fell into her hand, and she quickly scanned the place for ideas.

Lucky for them, the solution turned out to be a simple one.

"We reflect it back to him. I'll distract him, shoot the beams back at him, and you get that clock hand."

"The one he's using as a wand? Got it."

They sprung into action. They moved in sync as they executed the attack.

Until… they didn't.

Until Ladybug missed.

Until Chat Noir was a step ahead when he needed to be one behind.

Until Chat was knocked off his feet by the beam of light that his ever-wonderful partner shot back at him.

And he was no longer in the fight.

Dizzy and disoriented, he took a moment to beg the world to stop spinning before looking up and scanning his surroundings. It took far too long to realize that not only he was no longer in the fight; there wasn't even a fight going on.

Heck, he wasn't even in the building any more.

He stood, scanning the Parisian skyline. But something was off.

Very, very off.

"How is it that she misses, but _I'm_ the one who ends up in trouble?"

* * *

She missed.

How did she miss?

She looked to where her partner lay while the akuma cackled like a madman.

Worse yet, Ladybug was running out of time.

The man reached for Chat's ring, but her partner suddenly stood, grabbing the akuma's neck while snarling.

"Chat!" she cried out, hoping the figure would stop.

He froze, his wild eyes widening and his lips falling out of its sneer.

"Drop him, now!"

He did, causing the akuma to run with fear. Ladybug should have chased him. She should have. But she was far more concerned about her partner.

"Damn," he said, rubbing his eyes.

Even though his face was half covered by his hands, Ladybug didn't need to see his face to know how severely he had changed. This… this wasn't Chat. Chat was not over a head taller than her. Chat did not have a ponytail. Chat didn't leave his suit unzipped to his chest.

And when he let his hands fall from his face, she saw the chiseled features of someone who was older than her partner.

His gaze landed on her, and that infernal smirk that was a hundred percent Chat quirked up his lips. "I forgot how tiny you were, bug."

Ladybug swallowed at the deep voice, one that came out in a sweet, smooth, baritone purr. "E-excuse me?"

"My bug's a bit bigger," he said. "You grow. In good ways, don't worry." He shot her a wink.

She blustered a moment, her cheeks pink as she tried to recompose herself. "What… Chat, is that really you?"

He furrowed his brow, but then realization dawned on him. "Oh. I forgot you hadn't figured out what that akuma's powers were, yet. He just switched your sixteen-year-old Chat for a twenty-six-year-old version."

That got her to look him up and down again.

"Little lady, you'll have plenty of time to peruse me later," he interrupted. "Right now, we should really catch that akuma because I'd like to go home. And trust me: your Chat would _really_ like to come back to this time period."

While flustered a moment, she quickly realized he was actually being reasonable. "Fair enough. Any ideas where he scampered off to?"

"One."

"Then lead the way."

* * *

Chat ran across the rooftops of what could easily be described as a war-torn Paris. It was horrible, like a post-apocalyptic scene form a video game.

How did Paris get so bad?

He scampered across the rooftops trying to find a place to hide. A place to burn time until his lady worked her magic and brought him home.

"Chat!"

He froze.

"Chat Noir! Over here."

He turned to see a woman on a balcony waving at him. A familiar looking woman in pink and long pigtails.

Marinette.

He leapt over to her. "Hey, Princess," he purred. "Um, let's just say I got hit by an akuma and—"

"You're from the past, Chat. I know. I've been expecting it."

He froze. And that's when he really gave her a good look over and realized this was _not_ his sixteen-year-old classmate.

She smirked. "Come on in. You can wait out the time in here. Better than you being uninformed and wandering around our version of Paris."

Numbly, he followed her inside and allowed her to shut the door.

"How did you know?" he asked.

She sighed. "Chat, you have to understand that this is the future, and now that you're here, it's an unstable one. The less you know, the better."

His ears drooped, yet, he could understand.

"Trust me," she said. "There's nothing more I'd like than to tell you everything. But I can't. The most I can offer you is a chunk of camembert and let you stay here for the time being."

He blinked a few times.

She grinned. "There was one time you needed a recharge, and I was close by. It was an emergency."

"Oh. Okay."

She led him down the stairs. "Thank you for trying to take that at face value. Even though I know your curiosity wants to get the better of you."

"I see you've become an expert on me."

Her laughter was out of place. "You could say that, kitten."

They got down to the kitchen, and Marinette directed him to sit at the table while she got out a whole ring of camembert.

"You really were prepared for me," he noted.

She opened her mouth to respond, only for a cry to get all her attention. "I'm sorry," she said. "Give me a moment. You can detransform. I won't come back until you give me the all clear."

With that, she set the camembert on the table and hurried up the stairs to what could only be a baby.

The thought struck him hard. Marinette was a mother.

The more he thought of it, the less surprised he was. Marinette would be a great mom, without a doubt. But when he recalled the outside world, his heart broke for her. She was a mom in war-torn Paris, having to raise her baby in this mess.

And where was her husband? The hour was late, one would think he'd be home by now. Was she a single mom? Chat didn't recall seeing a ring, but he wasn't exactly looking for one. Or did her husband work night shifts? Or was he out for another reason?

Was he good to her? Did he deserve having wonderful, strong, talented Marinette as his wife?

He had to stop before he overthought the future of his classmate.

"Claws in."

With a flash of green light, Chat Noir turned to Adrien, and Plagg appeared.

Adrien held out the fresh tub of Camembert. "Don't eat it all. We're in the future and Marinette was kind enough to give it to us."

"Oh, is that all?" Plagg asked flatly.

"Plagg," Adrien exasperatedly said, "be respectful, please."

Plagg sighed. "Fine."

As Plagg recovered his strength, Adrien tried not to be nosy. But he was a cat, and curiosity was killing him. He glanced over the homey townhouse, taking in the colors on the walls and the decorations placed all around. It was cute, quaint, warm, and welcoming.

He liked it.

He glanced down at Plagg, only to see crumbs of cheese everywhere. "What did I say about making a mess?" he chastised.

"That wasn't me!"

He scoffed. "Whatever, Plagg," he snipped, sweeping up the crumbs up off the table and the mail into his palm. "I told you to be—"

And that's when he caught sight of it.

He hadn't meant to, really. It wasn't like he was looking for it, but when you see your name, you kinda have to do a double take.

 _Agreste_.

But _Adrien_ wasn't in front of it.

He stared at the letter. A bill, from the looks of it. _Marinette Agreste._

 _Marinette Agreste._

Adrien's heart stared to race faster. Did… did he…?

Curiosity was going to kill him if Marinette didn't first, but he started digging through the mail, searching for his name.

He found it on the third letter. _Adrien Agreste._

He looked toward the stairwell Marinette disappeared up. He and Marinette. Married. That was enough to send his heart pounding.

It flat out stopped when he realized they were married _with a baby._

Slowly, a fond smile took over and his heart started fluttering. He had a family. Paris had gone to hell in a handbasket and all he cared about was the fact he lived in this small, cozy townhouse with a wife and baby.

"Wipe that lovesick grin of your face."

Adrien snapped out of it with the realization that Plagg was there. And that's when he realized his future self was a superhero with a civilian wife. He'd probably told her; there would be no way he'd keep that secret from her. She'd have to understand he had to interrupt dates for akumas and leave at night for patrol. If anything, Plagg wouldn't stay hidden, and Marinette would definitely have questioned why they burned through camembert at such a ridiculous rate.

The sound of feet descending the stairs interrupted his thoughts. "Kitten," Marinette said. "Can I come in the kitchen?"

"You know who I am, don't you?"

There was a pause, then a sigh as Marinette rounded the corner. "Yeah," she said. "How'd you know?"

His cheeks burned as he rubbed his neck. "I… I didn't mean to." He pushed the mail towards her.

She cocked her head in confusion, but then her eyes widened. "Dang it," she said, hitting her forehead with her fist. "That did _not_ cross my mind."

"I'm sorry," he said. "Please don't be mad. I didn't mean to."

"No," she assured, taking a seat at the table. "It's my fault. I remembered to take all the pictures down, but not hide the mail."

Adrien still didn't meet her gaze.

"I know it's a lot to take in," she said. "I know you were totally besotted with Ladybug at your age."

"I'm s—"

"If you complete that 'sorry' I'm going to smack you," she quickly interrupted. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You and my version of you have a ten-year age gap. A lot can happen in that time. You mature. I mature."

He finally looked at her. "But you understand why I like her, right?"

"Ladybug is kind of amazing," she admitted with a shrug. "I know you love her for her strength, resourcefulness, and creativity. You still hold her in a special place in your heart, and I'm perfectly ok with that."

He tried to smile, but his mind was trying to process so much information that it was beginning to get overwhelming. "You don't mind that I'm Chat? That I likely have to work our life around that?"

She grinned, but there was a certain amount of knowing it held that he couldn't quite place. "I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world," she said. "I'm married to a man who prioritizes me and our daughter above everything. I understand you're a superhero. I understand that it's not easy and it causes some havoc every now and then. But trust me: you're worth it."

Adrien could only stare, eyes wide and jaw dropped. Slowly, Marinette's smile grew. She stood from the table, but not before ruffling his hair affectionately. His mind was completely fried at this point, but not enough to miss a certain detail.

"We have a _daughter?_ "

With a groan, Marinette tossed her head back in frustration. "I should just keep my mouth shut."

* * *

Ladybug was having a really hard time not staring at Chat Noir. She hated so say it, but he looked _good_.

"I know you're staring, Little Lady."

Ladybug turned her head and blushed. Hard.

He snickered. "See, why don't you look at my sixteen-year-old self this way?"

She felt like she was about to die of a heart attack. "I… um… uh…"

He turned to her and flashed her an apologetic grin. "I'm kidding."

She shot him a scowl. "You're horrible and you don't get much better when you're older."

At that, he outright laughed. "I know _exactly_ how much you mean that."

She pouted.

He just laughed harder. "I'm sorry," he said, calming. "I'll stop. Really. I just forgot what it was like back in the day."

At this, Ladybug rose a brow. "Have we changed that much?"

"Ten years changes a lot," he said. "Especially when that ten years spans from teenager to young adulthood."

She couldn't argue with that.

"We both mature. You maybe a little more than me," he said with a wink. "But we grow closer. More in sync."

"And… do you still have a thing for me?"

He made an 'x' with his arms and made a buzzer sound. "No future secrets. My future is pretty darn bright. Far from perfect, but I happen to like it. I'm not about to go messing anything up if I can help it."

Her brow furrowed. "Fair enough."

He nodded.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not curious."

"It's the cat's job to let curiosity kill him. Not the bug's."

"Cat and bug are partners."

"Cat protects bug so bug can save the city. Partners as we may be, we have different jobs." He looked down at her. "Equals doesn't mean the same. Just means equal. You'll learn that soon enough. Now we have an akuma to find."

Chat lead her to one of the storage units downtown. "The akuma's hide out. Don't ask."

She heard the warning in his tone, so she bit her tongue.

He crouched down, grasping the handle on the overhead door. "Call your lucky charm."

She didn't argue. Instead, she did as asked.

When she caught the prism, he lifted the overhead door to the unit.

Only the akuma was waiting for them. He got off a shot, which Chat quickly dodged.

Ladybug scoured the interior, trying to fit together a plan, but nothing was coming her way, leaving her distracted and confused and an easy target.

The akuma took a shot. Chat launched at the akuma. Ladybug tried to dodge, but the light hit the prism, spraying off into a bunch of different light beams, and sending all three of them into the future.

The scenery changed. The unit shifted into something dingy and abandoned.

And there was another akuma.

He smirked. "I knew this day would come."

"Shit," Chat said under his breath.

The older akuma fired his scepter at Chat, who dodged it quickly.

Then her earrings beeped. "Chat!" she cried, fear leaking into her tone.

He called for his cataclysm, then used his staff to propel through the roof. Ladybug quickly followed, and they got the heck out of there.

"We're not going to capture the akuma?" she asked.

"We need a better plan," he said, running along the rooftops. "Something organized because you have no idea how powerful that akuma is."

Her earrings beeped again.

"I'm going to have to find someplace to recharge."

"I have a place in mind," he called out.

They wove through the city that Marinette barely recognized as Paris. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later."

Another ten rooftops later, Ladybug was growing confused. "Isn't there some place closer to hide out?" She asked. "We have to be ready to go back and capture—"

"You don't understand," he interrupted. "If you're here, that means future you is in the past."

He was right: she didn't understand. But if the way he was speeding across the rooftops was any indication, he had to get somewhere that had to deal with the fact future her was in the past.

He landed on a balcony of a townhouse, one a little run down, but nice compared with the rest of Paris. He scrambled inside, leaving the hatch open for Ladybug to follow. She hopped inside and shut the hatch, only for the reason of Chat's worry to become abundantly clear.

She could hear the cry of a baby.

"I've got you," she could hear Chat coo. "It's okay. Daddy's home." He continued to shush the baby until the cry faded to little whines.

Her earrings gave a minute warning beep. She dropped her transformation and had to catch an exhausted Tikki in her hands. She reached to her side

And remembered her purse was blasted off her body a while ago.

"Um, Chat?" she called down, not wanting to move from her spot lest she accidently discover more about the future or worse, show her partner her identity. "I, uh—"

"Come on down, Marinette," he said. "I'll show you where the cookies are in the kitchen."

She froze. Marinette. He called her Marinette. "You… you know?"

"In the future," he answered. "No secrets on how the big reveal went, though."

Hesitant, she walked down the stairs to spy Chat at the base of the stairs holding a tiny baby.

Cookies forgotten, she stared at the little infant in the Chat Noir onesie and kitten-earred hat. It. Was. _Adorable._

Chat smiled. "This is my little one," he presented proudly. "She doesn't want to be put down at the moment."

"Daddy's girl?" she asked.

His smile turned sweet and hopeful, and suddenly, she wondered how she ever thought he'd changed. "I kinda hope so." He set her up against his chest, holding her securely with one arm. "Now, cookies."

"How old is she?" Marinette asked.

"Few months," he said. "Three? Three. Wow, time flies."

Marinette giggled. Same old Chat.

He led her down to the kitchen. It was a bit of a mess, but it was undeniably homey. "In the jar there," he said, indicating the white, cylindrical jar with the word 'cookies' written in bold, black letters. "Fresh supply."

Marinette took the lid off the jar to reveal a handful of chocolate chip cookies. She pulled a couple out for Tikki. "Thank you."

He smiled. "You got it, Little Lady."

She took a seat at the table, grabbing a napkin for Tikki to eat over. She placed the cookies on the napkin, then looked back over to Chat.

He was holding his daughter, murmuring to her and bouncing her lightly. Enough that Marinette could see the little baby's eyes gradually close. Her mind wandered to who Chat had settled down with. Despite the flirty attitude and the countless theories plastered on-line, Marinette knew Chat wasn't a playboy. He was the kind that would marry and have a family.

Gradually, her mind caught up with her and began processing everything that had happened. What did he mention when rushing over here? Something about if she was here…

Her mind revved a million miles an hour until she stopped at a terrifying conclusion. "Is she mine?"

Chat froze, looking back up at Marinette who stared at him with wide eyes.

"You… you said something about how if I was here, then my future self wasn't and you were rushing back to…"

Chat sighed. "Dang," he grumbled. "Cat's out of the bag now."

"So that's Emma?"

He gave her a fond smile. "Not quite," he said. "I had a special name I begged you to let us use. You agreed."

If it was special to Chat, she would have agreed without a fight. She continued to stare at the scene. This was Chat's bright future. Her bright future, as well, it seemed. A slightly run-down townhouse in the middle of an akuma-ruled Paris, but they had each other and a baby. She could see the charm in it.

Not-Emma soon was fast asleep in her dad's arms, and Chat smiled sweetly down at her. He took a seat at the table, allowing Marinette a closer look. She could see blonde wisps of hair peeking out from under the hat, meaning not-Emma got Chat's golden locks. She wondered if those eyes were green or blue. Suddenly, she couldn't help but wonder what combination she would be. Would she be wild, impulsive? Or would she be prepared and responsible? Would she somehow be a mix of the two?

Marinette wanted to know.

She also wanted to know how she picked Chat as the one to settle down with, but that was something she knew Chat wasn't going to divulge. Instead, she found herself glancing outside and remembering the version of Paris they lived in. "What happened to Paris?"

Chat looked out the window, a frown dulling his expression. "Hawkmoth," he answered easily. "He grew powerful, and with this time traveling akuma, things got bad really fast."

"And somehow, we found time to marry and have a baby?"

Chat shrugged. "We did."

Marinette smiled, though it was strained.

"I see so many questions in your eyes," he said. "And I'm sorry, I want to—"

"Keep as many secrets as possible," she finished. "I think I understand. You know me and the whole secret identity thing."

Chat smirked. "Yeah. You were always better at secrets than I was."

"I'm more surprised that this is what you call a _bright_ future."

"I have you and our daughter," he said. "Trust me when I say that is immensely bright and if my sixteen-year-old self could see this right now, he's probably be crying in happiness."

"I can see that," she said, looking at the little chat noir themed baby. _Her_ little baby girl. "I'd like Paris to be in one piece, but I can see the charm in this."

"You think that I don't want to make this place better for you? For _her_?" Chat said, motioning to the baby asleep against his chest. "Trust me; we've done so much. It's just never ending, it seems. You pull Rena again, and even more supers join the fray. But Hawkmoth is powerful. And with that time traveling akuma…" Chat shook his head. "I just want it to stop."

Marinette frowned. She made a new vow to find Hawkmoth as soon as she returned home. This would not be the city she raised her little girl in. And if her sixteen-year-old Chat knew about his little girl, then no way he'd let this escalate either. "Let's get me back home, Chat. So I can make sure that that this Paris never happens."

He looked nervous, and as Marinette looked down at the baby he was stealing glances at, she was suddenly aware of why. "Chat," she said, leaning over. "Answer me honestly: am I happy in this timeline?"

He nodded. "Very. At least, that's what you tell me."

"Then I will make sure that no matter what, we end up together. I swear that the past will change, but this future won't."

He stared at her a while longer before his gaze hardened. "Then I'm in, little lady."

She smiled. "Excellent."

* * *

A/N: Finished for now unless you guys bug me big time. Which I have the distinct feeling you will.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: After much begging on all my social media sites, we now have the much anticipated continuation. This has been the most requested continuation by far. Months later, and I still get comments on it. I did not expect this story to take off, _especially_ considering I almost deleted this from my fanfiction folder because I thought it was so terrible and really didn't want it to see the light of day.

I stand surprisingly corrected.

* * *

Chat was kinda freaking out.

"Kitten, the baby is fine," older Marinette said. "If you're here, then the future you is in the future, so you've got her. I'm not worried."

He was still a little worried. But then his focus switched completely and his heart felt like a jack hammer inside his chest. "Marinette!" he realized. "If you're here, then Marinette's in the future and—"

"I will calm you right now," she said, looking a tinge exasperated. "I am with the older you, which is how the older you knows to look after the baby. Calm down. I'm fine. Baby is fine. There's nothing you need to worry about. Just contact Ladybug and go from there."

Hesitantly, he pulled out his staff and did as she instructed. However, five minutes later, and he had a whole new set of worries. "I can't contact Ladybug, and I have no idea where the akuma is. And it seems the Ladyblog's down, too."

Marinette made some grunt noise. "Then go search for her."

"I can't leave you alone!" Chat cried, eyes wide.

She shot him a smile with a raised eye brow. "You seem to be forgetting this is my past. I know my way around Paris."

"But—"

"I'm fine, kitten," she said. "I'll find a café or something to sit down at, or just marvel at the fact Paris is in one piece."

He frowned. "How about this?" he said, grabbing her by the waist and taking his staff out in the other hand. "I drop you off at your old room. Okay?"

She grinned and held onto his shoulders. "Okay. If you insist."

So he carried her to her room, dropping her off on her balcony.

"Thank you, Chat," she said. "Stay safe and be careful, okay?"

He grinned. "Okay." And with that, he was off.

He ran around Paris, searching for Ladybug or the akuma or anything, really.

And that's when a thump behind him called his attention. He spun around, his staff drawn only to see not the akuma nor his lady.

Well, kinda not his lady.

She was grown, womanlier—he tried to pull his thoughts away from that as quick as he could—her hair was longer, and her costume wasn't quite as red, instead boasting long, black gloves and tall, black boots.

And did she have wings? It almost looked like she had wings.

"You are so small," she commented with a teasing grin. "Look at you. Geez."

With that, she placed a hand way over his head to, if he would guess, how tall he grew in the future. He took a moment to appreciate his clear growth spurt before shaking his head and getting back to the task at hand. "I have no idea where the akuma is."

"I didn't see him, either," she commented as she scanned the city over once more. "However, I know of a couple supers that _are_ in this time. The Eiffel Tower has always been our meeting place. I bet they'll be waiting there. Come on."

Chat followed the older bug to the tower where, low and behold, two others were waiting. Rena Rouge was the most easily recognizable. She, too, had grown up. While she'd always been curvy, she had grown a little taller and now looked womanly. Her hair was still long and flowing, and her costume had no changes that he could see. However, as Chat looked to the man in the blue suit, he couldn't help but stare.

The man with bright red hair grinned. "I didn't think I'd get that response."

"Chat," Ladybug said from behind him. "That's La Peon. You'll get to know him a little later. But Rena, you should know."

"Aww," the vixen said from behind him, "I forgot he was this small before he started eating better."

Chat's jaw dropped. "What?"

Ladybug smacked Rena's arm. "Can you try _not_ to share future secrets?"

Rena looked only a tinge sheepish. "Sorry. I just forgot how small he was. And that he used to wear his hair like that."

Chat looked down at himself then grabbed at his hair. "Is it bad?"

"No," Ladybug said, glaring at Rena. "There is _nothing_ wrong with it."

"If I can interject," Peon said. "Can we go to Master Fu's now? I'd like the whole team back."

"Missing your wife already, Feathers?" Rena teased.

He glared. "Says the woman who's always fussing over a turtle."

"Guys!" Ladybug cried. "Can we _focus_?!"

Chat was _so_ lost _._

"Fine," Peon said. "I'll behave. Can we go?"

Ladybug simply took out her yo-yo and slung it across the city, disappearing from the tower in no time flat.

Le Peon was next, stretching hidden wings and gliding down to the streets.

Rena Rouge looked over to Chat and gave him a cheeky grin. "This is what you have to look forward to. Like, all the time," she said with a wink before hopping off the tower.

Seemed like he had a lot to look forward to. And honestly… he couldn't wait.

* * *

Ladybug landed next to Chat on a rooftop of a very familiar hotel. It was probably the nicest looking building in Paris, which meant all it needed was a fresh coat of paint and the awning replaced for it would be looking as good as it did back in her time.

Chat pressed a combination of numbers on the door lock before swinging it open. "Come on, little lady."

She followed Chat into the dark hallway. The sound of Not-Emma (Chat wouldn't divulge the name) fussing was the only thing filling the stairs. "Shhh," Chat sounded, shifting to cradle her to his chest even though she was about as close as she could get with the chest-facing baby carrier. "You're okay. You're okay."

They made it down four flights of stairs before opening the door. The interior that was revealed looked a little dingier, but considering how gaudy and pristine it was before, it didn't look run-down at all. She followed Chat as they wound down the hallways to a room that looked extremely familiar.

"Why are we at _Chloe's_? Wait…" Ladybug quirked a brow. "Is she a hero now?"

He smiled down at her. "Just trust me, little lady."

Ladybug just took that as a yes.

The door opened, revealing an older Chloe. She immediately burst into a grin as she looked at Not-Emma. "Gimme!" she cried, her arms open and ready to take the baby.

Ladybug had to blink, like, ten times over.

Because Chloe, in her sleek, yellow dress and heels, did _not_ just _demand_ to take a _baby._

But Chat simply pulled Not-Emma out of her carrier and placed the little girl in Chloe's arms.

Chloe immediately started up gibberish talking to the baby, making Not-Emma smile and gurgle happily. She spun and marched inside, leaving Chat and Ladybug to follow.

Chat snorted a laugh that he quickly hid behind his glove. "Sorry, little lady, but your face is really priceless right now."

She was sure it was. "Are you going to tell me Lila is our new best friend, too?"

He snorted. "Nah. Lila went back to Italy once Adrien Agreste was no longer on the market."

Ladybug froze a moment before taking a couple hesitant steps forward.

He paused to look back at her. "I know about that," he said with a soft smile. "And I know it wasn't just because he's a model, otherwise, I probably would be giving you a lot of flack about it."

She felt herself blush. "Is… is he happy?" she asked. "That we know of?"

Chat gave her a nod. "Yeah," he said. "He's pretty happy."

At least that was nice to know.

"Ladybug! You got hit, too?"

"Alya?" Ladybug said, seeing her best friend from her time-period standing next to an older… and _very-toned_ Nino.

Apparently, he took up the superhero past-time, too.

However, she couldn't stare too long before Alya's excited babble pointed out Nathaniel was in the room, too.

"Hey, Ladybug," he shyly waved.

"What are you two doing here? Correction," she quickly said, pointing at Alya. "You need to stop following Chat and I so closely. What are _you_ doing here, Nathaniel?"

"I was at the Louvre when I was hit," he explained. "Alix was hit, too, but I don't know where she is."

"Kim probably found her," Nino easily brushed off, and when did his voice get deeper? If he and Alya were still together, Alya _scored._ "Even if he didn't. Alix can hold her own."

Ladybug thought she heard Chat mumble something about psycho vigilante, but she ignored it.

"So," Chat said, rubbing his hands together. "We have a problem."

"And that is…?" Chloe asked, cradling the baby in her arms.

"Both past and current TimePiece are here."

Nino and Chloe's jaws hit the ground.

" _Duuude!_ " Nino moaned as he rubbed his hands down his face. "Are you _kidding_ me right now?"

"We can't even take on _one_!" Chloe added. "With six supers!"

"I know. I know," Chat said. "Meaning we have to send one of them back to the past—"

"The past already _has_ one, doesn't it?" Chloe said. "The past time piece couldn't make one person go to the future without sending someone else back."

"Yeah, but would that be the present one or the future one we're fighting?"

Ladybug rubbed her temples. Time travel made her head spin.

"I don't know," Chat said. "But the point is that _all_ of them will go away if we just grab the past TimePiece. The original one. Then past Ladybug can fix everything and we'll be all good to go."

Chloe and Nino looked skeptical.

"And Ladybug— _your_ Ladybug, _the future_ one," Nino said, "isn't going to kill you for sending the future TimePiece back to her? My Alya will."

"As long as we made this future _not_ a reality by stopping the original TimePiece, I think she'd kiss me instead."

Alya looked at Ladybug with a dangerous gleam in her eye. "I'm sure she would," she teased with a wink. "I'd kiss the original Nino."

"Okay," future Nino said with a teasing grin. "I'll do it."

Alya chuckled.

"We're still missing the obvious," Chloe said, calling the attention of the others. "How do we get future TimePiece to the past in the first place?"

"That's the question, isn't it," Chat said, his ears lowering.

"And the point being we have to make him get hit with his own ray or we're still going to have two TimePieces on our hands."

"I'm so lost," Ladybug spoke up. "What do you mean he has to get his with his own ray and not the past TimePiece's ray?"

Chat took a breath. "Okay, are you ready for this? This is really confusing."

Ladybug nodded.

"So," he said. " _My_ past included your little mirror trick that started this whole thing hitting TimePiece instead of me. Which meant you got a TimePiece that had ten years' experience fighting you and me. And in those ten years, his powers evolved so that he could isolate sending someone into the future without the future person entering our timeline."

He paused and waited for Ladybug to nod for him to continue.

"Okay, because of that, we had to be extra careful because if we were hit, we were screwed. There would be two supers in one timeline and no supers in the timeline there needed to be supers in. Got it?"

"And that's how Paris got so bad, isn't it?" Ladybug said, pieces slowly fitting together in her mind. "We couldn't fight him well without the fear we were going to disappear?"

Chat nodded. "And we couldn't hit him, otherwise, we'd send him who knows where without any ability to fix the problem."

Ladybug bit her lip. "And we haven't been able to take him for ten years?"

"Between him and Mayura, we were so screwed for a while. We only _just_ got the Peacock back."

"Hard to believe Feathers has only been with us for three years," Nino commented.

"Seems like forever," Chloe agreed. "He fit right in with us."

"And he helped," Nino said. "Because of him, we almost grabbed TimePiece once."

" _Once_ ," Chloe repeated. "TimePiece never made that slip up again."

Chat nodded. "Hawkmoth made himself a doozy of a villain with TimePiece. And before you ask, no, we can't find him. We got lucky—and I mean supernatural Kwami level of lucky—with Mayura."

"She made a mistake trying to take your Miraculous," Chloe jumped in. "And she almost learned who you were."

"You were walking around with one earring for the day," Nino said.

"I got it back," Chat said, the tone of his voice hinting at pain. "And happened to take Mayura down with it."

His expression was tight, and even though he was ten years older, Ladybug knew that expression: he didn't want to talk about that day. And not even to keep secrets. That day _hurt._

She reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me tell you, little Ladybug," Nino said. "We've been flat out lucky none of us have truly lost our miraculous."

Ladybug nodded. "Those… aren't good odds."

Chat shook his head. "No. Few things have been in our favor these last ten years."

"But we have to try _something,_ " she continued. "Because this timeline isn't going to be my future if I can help it. Chat's right: if we stop the original, _none_ of this will happen. And with all the experience you all have, taking down the original one will be a piece of cake."

Chat stared down at Ladybug with a proud grin. Nino simply shook his head. "Same. Old. Ladybug."

"This is why we're friends," Chloe said with a grin. "Now, we just have to get someone to watch the baby."

"Umm…" Alya started, pointing at herself. "Babysitter. Right here."

Chloe held the baby tightly. "Not that I _don't_ trust you—I've had to more than you know—but we already have someone else in mind."

Chat nodded. "No offence, Alya, but we already have emergency babysitters lined up. Superheroes kinda have to."

Alya pouted. "Fine," she relented. "Fair enough."

"I'll go drop her off," Chat said, "then we'll meet over by the warehouse he's hiding out in, okay. Bring prisms and mirrors. We'll try to get past TimePiece to shoot the future one?"

"Chloe's got those in plenty," Nino teased.

She just glared at him as she slid Not-Emma back into her carrier on Chat's chest.

"Please don't kill each other," Chat warned, slightly exasperated as he strapped his daughter back in her little pouch.

"We haven't this far," Nino said, smirking.

"No promises," Chloe cheekily retorted.

Chat sighed as turned to head out the door. "I'll see you in a bit."

Ladybug followed obediently behind. "Are they always like that?" She whispered once out of earshot.

Chat smirked. "No. Sometimes, they're worse."

" _That's_ going to be fun to look forward to," Ladybug grumbled.

"At times," Chat chuckled with agreement. "But they're family, and we love them."

* * *

Chat didn't recognize the place, but his older partner marched in with certainty. He followed like an obedient cat with the two other supers trailing behind.

"Master Fu?" Older Ladybug called out.

The moment they rounded the corner, Chat saw a man he instantly recognized.

"Ahh," he said. "Future Ladybug. How can I help you?"

"I'm going to need more superheroes."

Master Fu frowned.

"Listen," she politely explained. "The akuma, TimePiece, is in the future, and I don't see any TimePiece here. The time stream is slowly being altered to the point where it's… this past is no longer becoming mine. To fight him, to prepare for whatever the future counterparts have planned, I need to bring more supers into the fray. The supers that I have with me in the future."

Master Fu stroked his little beard. "Are you certain that is the only way?"

She nodded. "I wouldn't have come here otherwise. Furthermore…" her gaze fell to the ground. "The future of Paris… it's not a good one. It's in shambles, and I, as the role model they look up to to protect and care for the people and city, cannot let future Paris become a reality. Please, Master Fu. I understand your hesitations, but I do not want the future of this Paris to be mine."

Master Fu looked at her, then slowly smiled. "You've become a good guardian."

Ladybug smiled. "I swore I would never let you down."

Master Fu beamed with pride before motioning toward the record player in the corner. Ladybug walked up to it, pressing the dragons' eyes to reveal a combination of buttons. She pressed a few, causing the record player to shift and turn before opening to reveal an octagonal wooden box that looked very similar to the one he had received. She lifted the box lid and pulled out two miraculous, placing them in boxes very similar to the one he'd received.

"And yours, Master Fu. I'm sorry."

He easily slid the bracelet off his wrist and gave it to her. "He becomes a good turtle, though, no?"

Ladybug nodded. "A very good turtle you would be proud of."

"Then I give it up happily."

"Thank you," she said.

"I trust you know what you are doing, Ladybug," he said with a smile.

"I hope I do, too."

She walked over to Chat and presented him with one of the boxes, which he stared at in complete confusion.

"Chat, I know that secret identities should be secret, but I'm thinking… hoping… that you find her before I do. That," she grinned sweetly, "and I owe you that trust."

Chat smiled, his heart warm. "I know you have your reasons for keeping secrets."

"I do," she said. "Just as I have my reasons now for sharing them with you." She opened the box to reveal the fox miraculous. "I am entrusting this box to you," she said.

Chat stood proudly and nodded. "Who?"

Ladybug grinned. "The ladyblogger."

Chat's eyes widened, but the more he processed it, the more it made sense. "No wonder there was never any footage of Rena on the LadyBlog."

Ladybug grinned. "She makes a good hero, though."

"That she does," Chat said, smiling up at Rena.

"Aww, thank you!" Rena hugged him tight. "This is why I always liked him."

Ladybug snorted before handing over a box to Paon. "Here. Take Rena and go give you-know-who his miraculous."

Paon took it with a firm nod. "You got it."

"In the meantime, Chat and I will go give the bee to someone else."

Chat smirked.

Ladybug looked down at him. "Don't think I don't know the teasing game you like playing with her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chat said, his smirk betraying his words.

Ladybug just shook her head and gave the bee over to Chat. "Meet you at the Eiffel Tower once we've got our recruits," she said to Peon and Rena.

"You got it. See you there."

* * *

Ladybug wasn't quite sure how to react to seeing her parents' bakery, the home she grew up in, as run down as it was. It needed a new coat of paint and the lettering on the windows was wearing off.

"But they're doing well, right?" she asked, concern bubbling up before she could stop it.

"No one is doing quite like they were before," Chat said. "But by this world's standards, they're still doing well."

Well, that was something of a comfort.

Chat entered the shop. Only to be immediately greeted by Sabine. "Chat Noir, and my little grandbaby!"

"Hey, Maman," he said, hugging her as best he could with Not-Emma still strapped to his chest. "Can you watch—"

"As if you even have to ask," Sabine said as she began removing her granddaughter from the carrier, only to cradle the little girl against her chest.

Only then did she glance over at Ladybug. Her face fell immediately. "Oh dear," she sighed.

"The past bug was hit by TimePiece and sent up here to our future," Chat easily explained.

"Ah," Sabine said with a nod. "As long as my daughter isn't lost in time somewhere, I'm okay."

"How long have you known?"

Sabine looked down at Ladybug, who was somewhat surprised the question had slipped out in the first place.

Slowly, Sabine gave her a motherly grin. "For a while," she said. "You told me when you started bringing Chat around more often. He's a good one," she teased.

Ladybug glanced up at Chat, who was rubbing his neck shyly. "So… you're okay? That I'm Ladybug?"

Sabine paused. "I think what I will say is that I'm proud of the young woman you have become."

Ladybug's heart warmed as her mother patted her cheek.

"Now," Sabine said. "Go fix Paris. Tom and I have little Emilie here."

"Emilie?" Ladybug repeated.

Chat cleared his throat. "Yeah. Emilie."

She looked over at her baby that her mother held protectively. Emilie. It was a pretty name and very close to Emma.

She liked it.

"I think we should go," Chat said. "The others are waiting for us."

"I suppose we should," Ladybug agreed.

"Don't worry," Sabine said. "Emilie will be perfectly fine. Go on."

"Thanks, Maman," Chat said, pressing a kiss to Sabine's cheek. "Best mother-in-law ever. Tell Papa I said hi."

Ladybug couldn't help but grin. "Yeah. Thank you, Maman. Say hello to Papa for me."

Sabine gave Ladybug a smile. "You're welcome, dear. And I will. Now, go save Paris."


End file.
